At Manchester United, the storm clouds are gathering.
The so-called Theatre of Dreams is now the home of something that resembles a soap opera.
The post-Sir Alex Ferguson era has been grim to watch.
Not even top managers like Louis van Gaal and Jose Mourinho were able to salvage the rot. Pretenders like David Moyes and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer simply exacerbated things.
Erik ten Hag’s first season in charge seemed to be the beginning of something different.
But barely a month into the new campaign, Ten Hag is having to deal with a long injury list, accusations of physical assault surrounding winger Antony and a public fallout with forward Jadon Sancho.
There has also been criticism of the way United handled the Mason Greenwood case.
Seyi Babalola, the ex-Media Lead at Key To The City Lagos, believes the players should take responsibility.
“They’re the ones that put themselves in this position in the first place.
“Jury is out on the handling of it all. But as far as blame is concerned, it’s the players,” Babalola tells DAILY POST.
Solace Chukwu, the Chief Editor for Pulse Sports, insists Ten Hag should shoulder most of the blame.
Apart from his perceived poor man-management, his tactics have been questionable at times. Even the choice of Bruno Fernandes as the team’s new captain raised a lot of eyebrows.
The performances on the pitch have been underwhelming. The Red Devils have lost two of their first four games. Up next is a tricky run of fixtures against Brighton & Hove Albion, Bayern Munich and Burnley.
“There are always layers of responsibility in these matters,” Chukwu tells DAILY POST.
“Erik Ten Hag has to shoulder some blame for the lukewarm nature of his revolution. It has largely focused on culture, but there has not been enough emphasis on structural coherence.
“So, at times, it seems like he is caught in between two stools, unable to decide whether to implement the style he wants or the style with which his players are most comfortable.
“Everything else, on the playing side of things, flows from that, including perceived underperformance from some individuals,” he added.
There’s also the uncertainty caused by the ownership situation. It’s approaching a year since the Glazer family announced it could sell.
However, the two main bidders, British billionaire Sir Jim Ratcliffe and Qatari businessman Sheikh Jassim, are still in the dark about whether they will ever be successful.
In Chukwu’s opinion, this is actually the root cause of every other problem.
“In the sense that they make the decisions that determine the club’s sporting trajectory, yes.
“For a while now, it has been clear that, for instance, Manchester United’s transfer policy is riddled with inefficiency.
“That comes from having no clear ideology guiding recruitment, and little football knowledge beyond the whims of whoever the manager is at that time.
“The buck ultimately stops at the table of the owners: the Glazers,” Chukwu says.
Between Red Devils and deep blue sea: The many issues bedeviling Man Utd